User:Geo Swan/Guantanamo/transcripts/200

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=ISN 200= On March 3, 2006, in response to a court order from Jed Rakoff the Department of Defense published a twelve page summarized transcript from his Combatant Status Review Tribunal. mirror

Al Qahtani's initial questions
Al Qahtani asked two questions:
 * 1) How trustworthy was the Tribunal?
 * 2) Why were some detainees being released without going through a Tribunal? Al Qahtani said that many of those who had been released were more dangerous than those who had not been released.

Testimony
Al Qahtani acknowledged traveling to Afghanistan. But he did so prior to September 11, 2001, when his country recognized the Taliban as a legitimate government, and travel to Afghanistan was legal.

Al Qahtani acknowledged returning to Afghanistan in April 2001, after hearing a fatwa advising assisting the Taliban. "Yes, I said I was with one of the persons in Rawalpindi, but at that time I didn't know he was from al Qaida." Al Qahtani pointed out that someone could visit someone who was not the best person in the world, without being a bad man themselves.

Al Qahtani acknowledged receiving military training and small arms training, but he said that was not at a Taliban camp. He acknowledged receiving armor training [sic] at a Taliban camp. His Personal Representative clarified for the Tribunal that the Kubah training camp was in Pakistan, not Afghanistan.

Al Qahtani acknowledged serving with the Taliban on the front lines.

The allegation said that Al Qahtani fled through Tora Bora, and that he was captured by Pakistani forces on December 18, 2001. Al Qahtani clarified that he sought out a Pakistani police station, looking for their assistance contacting his embassy, because he had lost his travel documents.

Prompted by questions from his Personal Representative Al Qahtani described his relationship with the man he knew as Tariq who American intelligence analysts identified as a member of al Qaeda.
 * "I didn't know anything about him. When they (interrogators) showed me his picture, I told them I knew who he was and that I had met him at his home, and I told them what had happened.  They told me his name was Abu Zubaydah and he was one of the famous people of al Qaida."

Al Qahtani clarified he was on the front line, for a short time. But there wasn't any fighting while he was there.

Al Qahtani said he didn't think he had done anything wrong with going to Afghanistan, receiving military training, of serving on the Taliban's front lines. The transcript does not record whether his front line service was prior to, or following, the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Al Qahtani said that the first time he had traveled to the area he didn't know anything about the Taliban. He didn't agree about the fighting between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance. When he returned to Saudi Arabia, and told his Imam about everything he had seen. His Imam's interpretation was that the Taliban had brought peace to "95%" of Afghanistan. And as soon as they vanquished the Northern Alliance the entire country would be at peace. Therefore assisting them in vanquishing the Northern Alliance was his recommendation.

Al Qahtani acknowledged carrying a weapon in Afghanistan—one he bought for himself—not one he was issued by the Taliban.

Al Qahtani said several of the people he traveled with also ended up at Guantanamo. Two of them were in Camp 4 (the camp for the most privileged detainees) with him. His Tribunal asked him if he traveled with fifteen other men. He couldn't remember. Maybe less. He couldn't remember how long they spent traveling to Pakistan. He estimated thirty to forty days.

Al Qahtani was congratulated on his ability to speak English, and was asked where he learned it so well. He said that 75% of his English was acquired in Guantanamo.

In response to a question about why he wasn't carrying his passport when he crossed the Afghan=Pakistan border Al Qahtani explained that the Pakistani border guards were capturing all foreigners, and turning them over to the United States for a $5000 bounty.

In response to a followup question, as to whether he wouldn't have a better chance if he was carrying his passport Al Qahtani explained that he thought if he wasn't carrying a passport, or any money, the guards might think he was an Afghani.

Al Qahtani confirmed that he was not alone when he crossed the border. His Tribunal asked him whether he crossed with fifteen other foreigners. He said he couldn't remember how many, it might have been fewer, but some of them also ended up in Guantanamo, and were in Camp Four.

When asked if he and his companions planned to separate, after their successful border crossing, Al Husayn explained that they decided to proceed, as a group, to the nearest Police station, to turn themselves in, and ask for the help of their respective embassies for help in getting sent home.

Al Qahtani's Personal Representative asked him to explain to the Tribunal why he hadn't requested the testimony of any of the other foreigners he traveled with, and crossed the border with.
 * Al Qahtani explained that he hadn't known them prior to trying to flee Afghanistan, so they couldn't testify as to the non-belligerent nature of his stay in Afghanistan.
 * He had told his interrogators all about his travels with them, and he felt sure that they had told their interrogators all about their travels with him. So he didn't see that their testimony would have been of any help before his Tribunal.

Al Qahtani said he had been a student of Islamic law prior to traveling to Afghanistan.